A Mountaintop Experience!

Last weekend, we took another trip up to TOPS, a mountaintop overlook of Cebu city, the hills, and the ocean.  It is truly a beautiful sight, especially when you go up at just the right time to see the sunset.  The extra perk of going up there is the cooler weather!  We have been up there a number of times this year, and with a number of visitors.  I think this last time was one of my favorites though....

This time it was the Ohs (our nickname for the Ohlendorfs), Tammy, me, our visitor/former CSC kid (Desiree), and four of our kids - Gibbie, Bernardo, Margie, and MaeAnn. I LOVED seeing the reactions on these kids' faces when they saw the view for the first time. Margie could not stop smiling, pointing, and exclaiming, "NICE KAAYO!" or "NINDOT KAAYO!!!" (Meaning "Very very nice!!" I probably misspelled those words...) She and her sister MaeAnn, two of our newest kids at CSC, were in awe of the ocean, the city, and the beautiful sunset. Gibbie could not stop looking through the binoculars and discovering what each little thing was that he was seeing from the mountaintop. Bernardo was kind of quiet, but seemed to take it all in, and loved taking a turn at the binoculars too whenever Gibbie would allow them to leave his hand for a moment! :)

(Just in case you thought you were at the bottom...)

Gibbie's loving the view!

Margie was so excited to see the moon!

The sunset was beautiful!!

Gibbie was proud as he pointed out to me where he used to live and where his dad now lives. He seemed quiet for a moment. I looked at him and said, "Do you miss your dad?" "Very much..." he replied. After his mom died and his dad had a stroke, his dad was unable to care for him and his siblings. It must have taken a lot of courage to give them up. They are thriving at CSC though, which is wonderful to see. His dad holds a very special place in his heart.

As the stars began to come out, Gibbie was especially excited! When he looked at the moon for the first time through the binoculars, he was amazed! He also wanted to know where Mars was. We were able to point out Mars AND Venus! Margie was confused and I started to explain what a planet was. She's never had any concept of the solar system, planets, or even Earth. To try to explain them was difficult for me, and confusing for her! I called Teacher Tammy over to help me out, and she fumbled over her explanation as well. Even Uncle Mitch couldn't figure out how to explain it in Cebuano. I made a quick sketch of the sun and the planets circling around it, but I don't think it helped much!

The traditional ringing of the bell!  One ring is a firm business partnership, two rings is forever friendship, and three rings is everlasting love.  We meant to ring it two times, but accidentally rang it three! :)

MaeAnn needed a little help reaching the bell!

Did you know that if you hold your thumb in front of the moon and look directly at the back of your thumb, you will see TWO moons??  Cool eye trick!

The whole experience for me was really special.  You see, I grew up traveling with my family every 2 years out West to visit my grandparents.  National Parks and Monuments were regular parts of my childhood.  The Rocky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, and Yellowstone were common visits for my family.  Going to the overlook of the city to see the lights in Arizona was a regular trip.  My parents tried to explain to me how valuable these experiences were, especially at my young age, but I never truly understood.  It's times like being at TOPS with these kids that reminds me again what a rich life I have had, and how thankful I should be.  Here are kids who, before coming to CSC, have lived with basically only a street-level view of life their whole life, living in poverty and focusing on day-to-day food, life, and survival.  To have an experience like this opens their eyes in magnificent ways!!  What an incredible thing to see and to be a part of!  Definitely a MOUNTAINTOP experience!!